PARSIPPANY — Parsippany-Troy Hills Mayor Michael Soriano assisted at Parsippany’s tenth Mobile Food Drop last Friday held at Liquid Church.
Soriano and Pastor Sidney Williams Jr., of Bethel AME Church in Morristown, started the “Mobile Food Drop” on April 3 at the Parsippany PAL. After two weeks, due to a large number of families in need of food, it was moved to the Liquid Church.
Williams was there representing his church’s charitable organization, Spring Street Community Development Corporation.
Williams has “a food pantry and a bus he renovated, outfitted with shelves,” Mayor Michael Soriano stated. “They pick up [from the Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside] and drop it off for the past ten Fridays,” Soriano said. “I do the coordinating and Williams brings the food.”
The parking lot is configured with signs and cones to form a winding line to the distribution point, where volunteers pack fresh meats, produce, dairy items, and other grocery essentials and places the food in the trunk of their vehicles. No one needs to get out of their vehicle during the process. Some weeks there have been over 500 families needing food.
The Spring Street Community Development Corporation operates the Table of Hope Soup Kitchen, Morristown. Williams renovated a donated Table of Hope delivery bus when the pandemic struck. As the coronavirus gripped the nation and caused mass layoffs, Williams expedited getting his bus on the road. The Spring Street Community Development Corporation, founded in 2011, is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for Morris County families by addressing economic, educational, and social needs while preserving the cultural and ethnic diversity of the area.
The distribution of food starts from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Friday at the Liquid Church, 299 Webro Road. Early arrivals are expected, as many vehicles have been parked ahead of the opening at past events.
For more information, call Table of Hope at (973) 998-9330 or the Parsippany Mayor’s Action Center at (973) 263-4262.
With the Community Food Bank of New Jersey as its primary food supplier, the Table of Hope serves more than 300 meals per week. Other providers of food and produce include ACME, Trader Joe’s, Grow it Green, and local farmers. Their constituency includes homeless individuals, single-family households, and senior residents.
If you want to get involved by donating food, money, or your time to volunteer for this program, please contact the Spring Street CDC at (973) 998-9330 or email info@springstreetcdc.org.
As a reminder, Parsippany Food Pantry is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, where you can also receive food essentials. The Parsippany Food Pantry is located at the Community Center, 1130 Knoll Road. For more information, call (973) 263-7160. “Parsippany supporting Our Town” spearheaded by organizer Rich Leitner hosts a weekly food drive at Parsippany PAL, 33 Baldwin Road on Thursdays from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. All non-perishable items are requested. Currently, the Staff at the Community Center Food Pantry serve over 200 families a week in need.
